WINES R US – Mayor Nicholas Sacco does the honors at the ribbon-cutting of Wine Mart Liquor Warehouse on 89th Street in North Bergen on Friday, May 31. Joining him are Commissioners Allen Pascual (far left) and Hugo Cabrera (far right). General manager Franklyn Concepcion (second from left), owner Monica Marcano, and owner Agustin Concepcion (next to Sacco) are all smiles.

Sen. Nicholas J. Sacco recently sponsored legislation that would allow residential and commercial development – including hotels, motels, and mixed use properties – on existing piers over large rivers in urban municipalities.

The bill was approved on May 30 by the full Senate.

Currently, this type of development is prohibited by DEP outside of Atlantic City.

“Coastal communities in New Jersey, including those along the Jersey shore and the Hudson River, have been hit with devastating economic losses following Hurricane Sandy,” said Sen. Sacco, D-Hudson and Bergen. “Blocking the development of new residential and commercial property in these areas would cause great harm to local businesses and hinder the vast recovery efforts that we have seen so far. By allowing new developments to proceed on existing piers, this measure will bring a significant boost to coastal areas and help spur the creation of new jobs and businesses.”

The bill, S-2680, would require that the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) permit development on piers in coastal high hazard areas.

Provisions of the bill would apply only to piers in existence on the effective date of the bill. There are 57 urban aid municipalities in the state, but the number of urban aid municipalities that will have the zones impacting large rivers, as specified by the bill, is significantly fewer. There are development projects in Hoboken and Weehawken that would be affected by the legislation.

The bill was approved by the Senate with a vote of 37-3. It now heads to the General Assembly for final legislative approval.

Former Assemblywoman to lead NHCAC

The North Hudson Community Action Corporation Board of Directors voted unanimously on May 21 to appoint former New Jersey Assemblywoman Joan Quigley to the position of president and chief executive officer, effective July 1.

The NHCAC is a non-profit organization, based in Hudson County, that provides a variety of low-cost and free health services to area residents.

Quigley will oversee an agency with 750 employees working at 22 sites and manage a $48 million budget.

“I am very pleased and honored to accept this important new responsibility leading this outstanding organization that is constantly proving its effectiveness in meeting the health care and social service needs of our families and our communities,” Quigley said.

NHCAC Board Treasurer and Executive Search Committee Chairman Robert DiVincent noted that Quigley’s 33 years of experience in health care administration makes her extremely well qualified for her new position. Quigley currently serves as a Hoboken University Medical Center vice president, a post she will leave on June 21.

“She is a perfect candidate to lead our organization through the implementation of the federal Affordable Care Act that is so vital for the residents that we serve,” said DiVincent.

Assemblywoman Quigley represented Hudson County from 1994 to 2011, serving on the Assembly Health Committee for 16 years and on the Budget Committee for 10 years. As a health care professional and a legislator, she was deeply involved in critical issues like the development of Charity Care and the expansion of Medicaid.

Quigley graduated from Hudson County Community College and Saint Peters University and earned a Masters Degree in Public Administration from Rutgers University. She is a lifelong Jersey City resident.

Little Miss Schuetzen Seeking Entrants

The 47th Annual German-American Little Miss Schuetzen Park Beauty Pageant is seeking applications for this year’s contest. The pageant is open to girls ages 7 through 12 years old and who are of Germanic, part Germanic, or Swedish heritage.

The pageant will be judged in Schuetzen Park, North Bergen, on Sunday, Aug. 18, at the celebration of the annual Oktoberfest in August Folk Festival.

For a pageant application, write to Little Miss Schuetzen Park Beauty Pageant, c/o John Lawrora, Senior Contest Co-Chairperson, 3161 Kennedy Blvd., North Bergen, NJ 07047-2303, or call (201) 864-3245 and leave a detailed message. Contestant registration will not be accepted the day of the pageant.